Ecosystem Services Program

Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) is an interesting mechanism for spreading the value of nature in society, and also for catching the attention of companies about the importance of those services for their businesses and to reward landowners by keeping their natural areas under protection. Ecosystem services are a warranty for human well-being and for business.

The PES model that SPVS has created aims to protect the best natural areas in terms of biodiversity and its ecosystem services. As a result of this model, around 10 thousands of acres of the most representative remains of the Atlantic Rainforest, specially the Araucaria Forest, in the South of Brazil have been protected through partnerships with companies who need oﬀsetting carbon footprints by protecting habitats, or as an expression of their social responsibility practices or to use conservation as an argument to run their business.

Beyond nature protection, since this Program was launched by SPVS in 2003, 32 land owners have been supported, 12 new private protected areas (PAs) were created under the Brazilian National System of Protected Areas (SNUC, in Portuguese) and one law for payment of ecosystem services was created in Paraná State under the inﬂuence of the SPVS Program methodology.

Participating landowners have love for the land and respect for nature, and who are usually struggling not to give in to the pressures of deforestation by keeping alive the important remaining areas of our natural heritage.